Dodger Notebook : ‘Real’ Leary Finally Shows Up Against Orioles

There is a photograph that has been taped above the locker of Ron Perranoski, the Dodger pitching coach, all spring. It shows Manager Tom Lasorda throwing batting practice, and the scribbled caption reads: “The 5th Starter.”

It is a joke, of course. But the Dodgers still haven’t decided which of their three candidates will occupy the fifth spot in the starting rotation.

It could be Alejandro Pena, who has been shopped around as trade material for a center fielder, or Jerry Reuss, whose $1-million contract and experience make him difficult to discount. But the leading candidate, almost from the start of the spring, has been Tim Leary, acquired by the Dodgers from the Milwaukee Brewers for Greg Brock.

Before Friday, though, Leary hadn’t really justified his status as leader in the clubhouse. Then he finally pitched to what he says are his capabilities in six innings of work in the Dodgers’ 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

Leary gave up two runs and four hits and did not walk a batter in what was by far his best spring performance. Before giving up a triple to Ken Gerhart in the sixth inning, Leary had retired nine straight batters.

It was a performance that pleased Leary, who wasn’t too happy about giving up seven runs in his first 10 innings of the spring.

“This eases my mind a little,” he said.

Leary said that most of the pressure he has felt has been self-imposed. Even after Friday’s performance, he found it hard to shake.

“I’ve been pressuring myself,” Leary said. “At the end of the (1986) season, I had all my stuff together. Then, you come back here to spring training and you look for it to be there again. And when it wasn’t, I got frustrated.

“From my last time (three earned runs in four innings against the Atlanta Braves Monday) to this time, I’m not worried about things like how hard I throw the ball, I just wanted to pitch. I didn’t walk anybody, so something was working.”

According to Perranoski, however, all is not working perfectly for Leary. The Dodgers have noticed that Leary sometimes drops his elbow before releasing the ball, negatively affecting his control and speed.

“He looked good at times today,” Perranoski said. “But he still has bad habits he gets into. His release point is not good, and he knows it. It’s something he’s got to work on before the season starts.”

All along, the Dodgers have talked about Leary as if he already is a member of the staff. Leary is taking nothing for granted.

“I’m just waiting for the day when I’m set,” he said. “Coming from the outside, you always feel a little more pressure to become a part of the team than if I was in spring training with Milwaukee. That’s why I feel I’ve got to prove myself.

“I know that spring training is just a time to get in shape, but, still, there’s that desire to impress the manager, coaches and whatever.

“Last year, getting 30 starts and 12 wins makes me hungrier for more starts and wins. I work better as a starter, but I don’t want to get into all the ifs and buts about it.”

There still are two weeks of spring training, and Dodger management is remaining noncommittal about who will be the fifth starter.

This much is certain, though: It won’t be the guy in the photograph above Perranoski’s locker.

Dodger Notes Jeff Hamilton, fighting a losing battle to replace Bill Madlock as the Dodgers’ third baseman, had a home run and a run-scoring single Friday. Hamilton was hitting .059 before the game. . . . Madlock, hitting .330, was given the day off to rest his sore right shoulder. . . . Pedro Guerrero singled, extending his hitting streak to nine games. During pregame batting practice, Guerrero took ground balls at third base. Not to worry, though, he was just fooling around. . . . Ken Landreaux had another RBI Friday, this one on a triple. He leads the team with nine RBIs. . . . Dave Anderson is still bothered by back problems, but he says he has the situation under control. Anderson, who has missed almost a week after another flare-up in a disk, is undergoing therapy and doing exercises to gain flexibility. He said he hopes to play again next week. This is the first time since 1985 that Anderson has had pain in his back. “I felt fine all spring,” Anderson said. “In fact, I felt fine the day I hurt it again. I’m going to convince my back that it won’t hurt anymore.”

Dodger officials left town after Friday’s game to fly to the Dominican Republic for the dedication ceremony of the organization’s baseball academy in Guerra. Among those in the Dodger traveling party: owner Peter O’Malley, Vice Presidents Fred Claire and Al Campanis, Manager Tom Lasorda, coach Manny Mota, and players Guerrero, Alejandro Pena and Mariano Duncan. The group is expected to return in time for Sunday’s game. . . . Lou Johnson, a member of the Dodgers’ community services department, spoke to the players Friday morning about substance abuse. . . . The Dodgers will play the Atlanta Braves today in West Palm Beach. Orel Hershiser is expected to start for the Dodgers, Zane Smith for the Braves.